Has LeBron James long fallen off the mountaintop?

When asked who the best player in the NBA has been over the last decade, the majority of NBA fans might say LeBron James. 

But when thinking about the last half-decade, some might throw Kevin Durant in there — including Skip Bayless.

“If you look at what appears to be happening to next year’s odds to win it all, the odds-makers are telling you that Kevin Durant is still the best player on the planet,” Bayless said. “Because if he stays in Brooklyn with Kyrie [Irving] and Ben Simmons, just watch, Brooklyn will once again be favored to win it all.

“And if Kevin gets his wish and goes to Phoenix, just watch, the Phoenix Suns will immediately vault to the top as the favorites to win it all.”

Skip Bayless says LeBron hasn’t been ‘The Best Player on the Planet’ in 5 years | The Skip Bayless Show

Skip Bayless breaks down why Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is no longer the best basketball player on the planet thanks to Kevin Durant.

Over the last five seasons, Durant has averaged 26.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game on 52.5% shooting from the floor and 39.6% from 3. 

Over those five seasons, Durant won two NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors, winning Finals MVP in each.

“Kevin Durant went to LeBron’s house in 2017 and 2018, in the Finals, and destroyed LeBron,” Bayless said. “In the King’s castle, in Cleveland, Ohio. Destroyed him and became the MVP of back-to-back Finals and became the best player on the planet.”

In those Finals, Kevin Durant averaged 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in five games in the 2017 NBA Finals. James averaged 33.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and 10.0 assists in that same series, but Cleveland lost 4-1 to Golden State.

In the second season, and Durant and James’ second consecutive NBA Finals matchup, Durant averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in four games. James averaged 34.0 points, 10.0 assists and 8.5 rebounds per game in the same series.